Working from home is associated with lower odds of inflation stress Among employed US adults in the Household Pulse Survey

Abstract

Background

Recent shifts in hybrid working practices have coincided with rising prices, potentially inducing inflation-related stress among employees.

Objective

To investigate associations between remote work status and self-reported inflation-related stress among employed US adults in an overall sample and stratified by gender identity and race/ethnicity.

Methods

We pooled data across 15 survey cycles (September 2022-October 2023) from the US Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey. Remote work status was measured as 0, 1–2, 3–4, and 5 + days. Covariates included age, marital status, education, income, number of children, employment sector, region, and survey cycle.

Results

The weighted sample comprised 48,686,575 individuals (0 days = 24%, 1–2 days = 23%, 3–4 days = 15%, and 5 + days = 38%), with 93% who self-reported stress related to inflation. Among the overall sample, employed individuals working remotely for 5 + days (adjusted OR [aOR] 0.87, 95% CI 0.80, 0.95) had lower odds of self-reported inflation stress than workers with zero remote workdays. Similar associations were found among males (aOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.78, 0.98), females (aOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76, 0.99), White individuals (aOR 0.84, 95% CI 0.77, 0.93), and individuals of other race/ethnicity (aOR 0.58, 95% CI 0.37, 0.90). We did not find any statistically significant remote work associations with self-reported inflation stress among Black, Hispanic, and Asian individuals.

Conclusions

Our findings have important implications for occupational health, elucidating a potential positive relationship between remote work and inflation stress. These findings can inform how organizations shape their hybrid-working policies to minimize financial stress on employees.